Method for reestablishing presentation of a paused media program

• US 8,793,744 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cordoba, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tilahun, Alazar
• Application Number:
  US14/023,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 725/54, 725/55, 725/62, 725/68, 725/85, 725/100, 725/110, 725/120, 725/139, 725/151
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4333 Processing operations in response to a pause request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method for reestablishing presentation of a paused media program is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Set-Top Box (STB) located in a building can have a controller element that presents a media program to a media device operable only in the building, pauses presentation of the media program responsive to a pause request, generates a departure mark that identifies a presentation point in the media program associated with the pause request, receives a request to resume presentation of the media program from the departure mark at a portable communication device capable of maintaining communications with the STB outside the building, and transmits to the portable communication device a presentation of the media program from the departure mark. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A set-top box, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving a media program from a communication network through a gateway device collocated with the set-top box;

presenting the media program at a media device;

pausing presentation of the media program responsive to a pause request;

generating a departure mark that identifies a presentation point in the media program associated with the pause request;

recording the media program from the departure mark to generate a recorded media program;

receiving from a portable communication device a request to resume presentation of the media program from the departure mark responsive to selection of a function of a media controller emulator executed by the portable communication device, wherein the media controller emulator is one of a plurality of media controller emulators; and

transmitting the recorded media program by way of the gateway device and the communication network to the portable communication device, wherein the recorded media program is transmitted from the departure mark for presentation of the recorded media program at the portable communication device.

2. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises one of a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet, a computer, or a telemetry system of an automobile.

3. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device communicates wirelessly with the set-top box by way of the communication network coupled to the set-top box and the portable communication device.

4. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising obtaining the recorded media program responsive to the request to resume presentation.

5. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

identifying a device descriptor associated with the portable communication device;

modifying at least a portion of the recorded media program according to the device descriptor to generate a modified recorded media program; and

transmitting the modified recorded media program from the to the portable communication device through the gateway device and the communication network.

6. The set-top box of claim 5, wherein the modified recorded media program comprises one of an image modification or an audio modification.

7. The set-top box of claim 5, wherein the modified recorded media program transmitted to the portable communication device comprises one of an image presentation or an audio presentation.

8. The set-top box of claim 5, wherein the modified recorded media program is transmitted as a compressed streamed media program.

9. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising continuing presentation of an uninterrupted media program at the media device during the transmitting of the recorded media program.

10. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the processor further perform operations comprising receiving the pause request from a media controller.

11. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the pause request is received from the portable communication device.

12. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the media controller emulator is selected according to a device descriptor associated with the portable communication device.

13. The set-top box of claim 12, wherein the device descriptor comprises one of a display feature, an audio feature, a communication feature, or a combination thereof.

14. The set-top box of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising terminating presentation of the media program at the media device.

15. A computer-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor of a portable communication device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a media controller emulator for controlling operations of a media processor, wherein the media controller emulator is obtained from a plurality of media controller emulators;

presenting the media controller emulator by way of a user interface of the portable communication device;

receiving from the media processor a recorded media program for presentation at the user interface under control of the media controller emulator, wherein the recorded media program is adapted for the presentation at the user interface by one of the media processor or the portable communication device, wherein the adaptation of the recorded media program is according to a presentation feature of the user interface, and wherein the recorded media program is transmitted from the media processor by way of a gateway device collocated with the media processor and communicatively coupled to a communication network; and

presenting the recorded media program at the user interface.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the portable communication device comprises one of a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet, a computer, or a telemetry system of an automobile, and wherein the recorded media program is received by the portable communication device as originally recorded without modification.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the portable communication device communicates wirelessly with the media processor by way of the communication network.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein receiving the recorded media program comprises:

detecting a selection of a function of the media controller emulator to resume presentation of a media program that had been previously paused and recorded by the media processor from a departure mark to generate the recorded media program; and

transmitting to the media processor a request to resume presentation of the media program from the departure mark responsive to the selection being detected.

19. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a portable communication device comprising a processor, a media controller emulator for controlling operations of a stationary media device, wherein the media controller emulator is compatible with operating characteristics of the portable communication device;

presenting, by the portable communication device, the media controller emulator by way of a user interface of the portable communication device while the stationary media device records a media program from a departure mark to generate a recorded media program;

sending, by the portable communication device, a request to the stationary media device to resume presentation of the media program from the departure mark according to a function of the media controller emulator;

receiving, by the portable communication device, from the media device the recorded media program from the departure mark, wherein the recorded media program is transmitted to the portable communication device from the stationary media device through a gateway device associated with the stationary media device; and

presenting, by the portable communication device, the recorded media program from the departure mark.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the stationary media device modifies the media program according to a device descriptor of the portable communication device.